


Clipped Wings

by iamanidhwal



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Background Relationships, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Enemies to Friends, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst, Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio Friendship, Hinata Shouyou & Kozume Kenma Friendship, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Injury, Injury Recovery, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Karasuno, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, M/M, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Minor Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Multi, Oikawa Tooru's Knee Injury, Other, Pining Oikawa Tooru, Protective Karasuno Volleyball Club, Sports, Team Mom Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-24 19:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22063075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamanidhwal/pseuds/iamanidhwal
Summary: 《 What's it like to fly again? 》Three sounds assault the senses of everyone in the gymnasium that day.The first is the thud of a body hitting the floor.The second is the snap of bone.The third is Kageyama Tobio's scream of pain.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Hinata Shouyou & Kozume Kenma, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Tsukishima Kei, Karasuno Volleyball Club & Nekoma Volleyball Club, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 40
Kudos: 237





	1. the higher they are, the harder they fall

**Author's Note:**

> A debut to the Haikyuu fandom. Hello! 💖
> 
> This will be set in-between the Inter-High and the Spring Tournaments with a few minor changes to fit the story better. This is going to be a multi-pair and angst-heavy fic with regards to love and sports. 
> 
> I'm not much of a volleyball player but I've played badminton heavily (as a hobby) against my dad back in the day. I've encountered sprains in both of my knees and both my ankles so I'm quite aware of injuries and recovery methods, and the frustration it brings. I'm a southpaw/left-handed like Ushijima so I'll be projecting Kageyama's troubles from my POV. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! 💖

* * *

It starts with the sound of sneakers skidding.

Then, a shout of desperation.

The thud of a body on the floor, followed by the bounce of the volleyball hitting the ground.

A sickening crack rings throughout the stadium. 

The fallen crow lets out a shrill cry of pain, louder than the referee's whistle calling for a timeout and a medic.

Karasuno's hearts plummet straight down. The final buzz and click of the scoreboard finalizing the game is drowned by the one name falling from each members' lips as they rushed forward.

" _Kageyama_!"

* * *

 _Ah_ , Kageyama thinks, as his shoes skid on the floor. _It's sweat_.

He loses balance, scrambles from his form in mid-air, tries to save himself. On instinct, his arm shoots out before he thinks, but his body follows, toppling directly on top of it.

 **Snap**. 

Then, white-hot pain that robs him of all thought and logic. He screams to relieve the pain, but it doesn't work.

He deftly hears the sound of a whistle, the rushing of people, his name being called out. But his vision is swimming, and he's breaking out in a cold sweat. His arm feels weird, like it's deadweight and heavy and oh so fragile. 

Someone in white tries to move his limbs, and it sends him crying out once more. Kageyama promptly passes out after that.


	2. the victors, the losers

* * *

《 _Aoba Johsai, the opposing team, snatches a victory from Karasuno High on the third set, with a match record of 25-21, 27-29, and 28-30._

 _Brilliant plays were made from both sides, but an accident happened to Karasuno's genius setter, Kageyama Tobio, in the final moments of the third set that decided --_ 》

At this point, two TV sets in different gymnasiums are quickly turned off. 

One of them is Aoba Johsai's. There's only two people in the locker rooms; everyone else has left to go and rest up for the next matches. Iwaizumi puts the remote down, turning to face Oikawa who's slumped over, towel over his hair that's still dripping wet from a long shower.

"It's time to lock up," Iwaizumi says, trying to shake him into action verbally. It doesn't work. "Oy. We need to sleep. Our next match is against Shiratorizawa, tomorrow in the afternoon."

"...can't."

"Ha?"

"I can't," Oikawa repeats quietly, voice barely above a whisper. "How can you say that, after...? You're heartless, Iwa-chan--"

Iwaizumi scoffs and throws the remote over, smacking him straight on the head. "I'm not heartless. I feel for Kageyama, and Karasuno. But we have a match tomorrow. Time is not on our side; it doesn't wait for us to recover. We have to do everything whether we're ready for it or not."

Oikawa rubs the spot where the remote landed on his head, grumbling. "I'm going to sound uncool, but I trust you won't tell everybody else in the team when it might bring them down."

"What was that?!"

"I don't think I can play at full power in the next game." 

Plain and simple, directly to the point. Iwaizumi shuts up as Oikawa continues. "We won, sure, but that victory... it's left a bad taste in my mouth."

The spiker sighs, then slings his bag over his shoulder. Mercifully, Oikawa follows suit, grabbing his own belongings. 

"Yeah." _I know what you mean_ , he thinks, grimacing. _But surely, whatever we feel..._

... _Karasuno probably has it ten times worse._

* * *

The second TV set to be turned off is Karasuno's.

The men's volleyball team is obviously quiet; Coach Ukai knows this, has witnessed it time and time again after each and every defeat in an official match. But the team is less fidgety, more stoic. They look like stone figures, huddled on the floor, hugging their knees close to their chest as silence settles.

This isn't the first time he's renderred speechless in front of the team. Usually at this point, Takeda-sensei would usually save the day, waxing overly-poetic metaphors that always seem to hit the players' hearts just right. But the teacher was elsewhere with Kiyoko, and Yachi is also at a loss for words. The first-year student manager fidgets with the cooler bags full of sports drinks, and does not look up.

"U-Uhm," Ukai starts to stammer. "This is not a testament to weakness. Losing after Kageyama fell, that doesn't mean Kageyama is the backbone of the te --"

"We know, coach." It's Daichi who speaks up. Always reliable, the center strength of the team, he oddly looks hollow as he replies. His eyes remain unseeing. "We're not thinking of the match."

Ryu chimes in. "Y-Yeah... we're more focused on... on..." He looks towards the others, but none of them meet his gaze. 

Ukai nods minutely in understanding. The team is disappointed with their loss, and rightly so, but they fought til the end. He's not really sure how he can prove it, but he knew that at that moment, the resounding crack of breaking bone is playing on a haunted loop in everyone's minds. 

The sliding doors to the gym snap as they are forced open, and in comes Kiyoko, breathing heavily. All heads raise. No question verbalized, but the message was clear.

"He'll be fine," she says after catching her breath. "The doctor said he'll need some time to heal. It was unfortunate that it was such an awkward fall, and he put his whole body weight wrong. Takeda-sensei is still in the hospital with him, since we called his mother to pick Kageyama up. He'll be the one explaining what happened, since he's the supervisor."

There's a sigh of relief that eases the shoulders of the team. Except for one.

"Uhm..." 

It's Hinata. His eyes are glassy, his presence, usually imposing, now shrunken to the size of a grape. His teammates take one look at him, and the word fragile comes to mind. And they mentally slap themselves.

_They've never thought Hinata as fragile before._

"Yes, Hinata?" Kiyoko asks patiently.

It takes him a moment to answer. "Which... which arm did he break?"

This time, the manager is silent for a beat. "...his right."

The team slumps forward when they finally realize. _His dominant arm_ , they think simultaneously.

"Everyone, go home." Ukai claps his hand to revert the attention of the gym back to him. "Take the weekend off. Next week, we'll go over our plays, get some serving and diving drills. We're defeated, but that gives us a chance to improve."

 _This is what they need_ , he thinks to himself as the rest of the team disperses. _Routine. They need to feel like everything will be okay._

He pulls Kiyoko aside to ask for the exact details from the doctor about Kageyama's condition. It's a half-hour later when his phone rings with an unknown number, and Ukai answers to the cool, calm but righteously angry and equally worried voice of Kageyama's mother. 

When he finally leaves, Ukai sees the gymnasium lights are still on. He still hears not one, but several balls parrying from the walls. He figures it's Hinata and the others, blowing off steam and trying to shake off the events of the day. He sighs and leaves them be. 

_We all have different ways of coping._


	3. fake it til you make it

Kageyama returns to school briefly on Wednesday morning.

He goes to school early, steps into the grounds at his usual hour. By instinct, he looks to his right where Hinata would usually be, where their morning race would start.

But he wasn't there. 

_Of course, idiot, why would he be?_ He scoffs at himself internally, turning towards the main building. _You're pathetic. One look and they'll probably coddle you to death_. 

And that's exactly what everyone does. Kageyama first goes to the faculty rooms, ready with an excuse letter from his mother signed by Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai, plus a supplementary certificate from the doctor, telling him of any restrictions he'll probably have while studying.

His teachers take pity, but don't know what to say. Should they comfort him for their loss? His condition? Both? How does one even do that considerately? But as soon as they think that, Kageyama bows out of the room before they say another word.

His class reacts much worse. Kageyama struggles only a little as he opens the door to the classroom with his left hand, but the silence that follows is deafening. As he walks to his desk, he's hyperaware that everyone is staring -- from his scuffed shoes, to his slouched form, and, of course, to the bright blue sling his limp right arm is in.

It still hurts. Of course it does. It wasn't just a simple sports injury. The doctor had mentioned something about the humerus snapping at his whole body weight suddenly being applied, and the pressure of having landed wrong ended things quickly. Today there's another series of x-ray tests scheduled at the hospital, and his mother is going to pick him up at the gate by lunchtime. He's only in school for half a day to inform the teachers and his team of his condition.

If worse comes to worst, surgery would be needed, and by the looks of it, the doctor is pushing for it. Kageyama would have violently protested if it weren't for the fact that he's completely succumbing to pain if he doesn't have painkillers in his system. 

_Surgery_. That single thought alone was enough to send chills running down his spine. He's confident with the skills of his family doctor. It's the aftermath he's worried about. After the fall, he realizes he can't trust his body to move exactly how he wants. Who's to say it even heals right for him to get back to his usual groove? 

"...geyama. Kageyama."

"Hn?" He looks up as a classmate calls for him. 

"Some people are here to see you."

The doors burst wide open before he asks, and the volleyball team, along with Kiyoko and Yachi, surround Kageyama at his desk. Sawamura is dead center, holding a cake with "Get well soon, Kageyama!" written in white icing.

But as soon as Kageyama looks up to face the spiel he was expecting, the team captain gets tongue-tied. So does Asahi, whose ears are turning red, no doubt listening to the whispers of his classmates about his features or the team in general. 

Ryu is the one to start speaking, shuffling forward from the semi-circle they've formed. "Kageyama... we know you're having a bad time. Don't push yourself too hard. Just rest, get better. That's an order from your senpai."

"We're looking forward to playing with you again, genius setter," Sugawara chimes in, smiling brightly.

"I-If you need any help with your notes, I can come over during lunchtime, like always," Yachi offers.

Hinata finally chirps up. "Oi..."

There's a tone in his voice that Kageyama doesn't like. "What?" He asks aggressively.

But Hinata doesn't leer at him like he does when they compete head-to-head. He's got a cool, yet mean, level-headed composure around him. "Kageyama... you'll toss back to me again soon, right?"

He takes pause, but he grins anyway, trying to look self-confident. "Of course, dumbass. I'm the only one who can."

After some hasty goodbyes, the members disperse and leave the classroom. Kageyama is still thinking about where to put the cake in the meantime when he shifts his arm wrong and he flinches violently.

Someone knocks on his desk. He looks up to see Tsukishima standing in front of him, fixing his glasses. Kageyama doesn't even realize he's dawdled behind until he has made his presence known. "How bad is it."

"...I've no idea what you're talking about," he replies haughtily.

"You can drop the kingly act, you know I won't bow down," He fires back, but his usual snipes and jabs have lost its sharpness. The blonde sighs. "How bad is it."

Then Kageyama remembers Tsukishima has an older brother who plays volleyball. That Tsukishima would probably have been around a lot of matches by older groups, seen them live, observed accidents up close. Infuriating as he may be, he knew that Tsukishima wouldn't treat an injured athlete lightly.

And so he tells him, voice barely above a whisper. "There's a 70% chance I'll be having surgery."

"...How invasive would it be?"

"They're gonna screw in metal plates to physically hold the bone in place as it heals."

It's quiet between them. They know what the other is thinking. All of the members of a volleyball team need the full functions of their arms and legs the most. Serving, receiving, spiking, setting, guarding -- all of them are incredibly heightened by a ridiculous wingspan.

Kageyama is a brilliant setter, known to make precision-like sets to anyone in his team. He's one-half of a demon rookie duo, mainly because he can set anywhere, anytime, no matter how off his form is in mid-air. He makes it work so the ball lands in a perfect trajectory towards the spiker.

Those metal plates and screws just might end up restricting him of crazy plays, pulling his offensive abilities down significantly.

They both know this, know the risks, know the possibilities. Kageyama does not want nor need verbal sympathy and pity. Tsukishima doesn't offer any words of encouragement.

But he does knock softly on his desk, three times, before he turns to leave. "Good luck."

Kageyama's face is schooled into a mask void of emotion, but his left hand is clenched tightly into a fist on his lap. "...yeah."


	4. it's not me, it's you

The x-rays comes back, and the surgery is scheduled the very next day. Often this would usually be done as soon as possible, but because of the angle and the initial violent reaction from Kageyama himself, they've postponed it and had additional scans done. Only then did Kageyama reluctantly agree, when he knew that it was an absolute necessity.

The operation is a success, and Kageyama comes back to school fully the following week. This time, his arm is in a thick white cast, held up by a sling. He asked for it to be specifically black, the color of his uniform, so it wouldn't stand out. He doesn't want a visible reminder everytime he passes a mirror or a window that he's basically down for the count.

His classmates all make polite small talk about his injury and the last match, and he's touched when they give him a charm for good health and recovery, plus a mountain of snacks as a gift. The class leader offers her help with the notes; knowing Kageyama, he wouldn't be able to write anything with his left hand. 

It was all a class effort, they say. Sorry if it's not enough, they say. They hope it's alright, they say. 

Kageyama makes sure to thank each and every one of them, hangs the charm on his bag, eats the food, gives them a smile.

His mother has packed him a full bento, with rice balls and tonkatsu strips, egg rolls, a helping of stir-fried vegetables. Kageyama usually skips lunch because he eats two breakfasts -- one before and after morning practice -- but this time he has no strenuous activities before class.

He still foregoes it, though, out of habit. It doesn't escape him that his mother had replaced his metal chopsticks with a fork and a spoon so he could eat easier.

His legs take him to the vending machine out the back, near the gymnasium. He punches his usual orders, two fingers punching in the buttons as though he was taunting God with what he wanted.

 _And today,_ Kageyama thinks as the drink falls, _God apparently wants me to drink a yoghurt drink._

It's been a week since Kageyama is made painfully aware that his dominant hand is rendered useless and obsolete. He's had to depend on his left hand more and more, and at some point he realizes that most of the world is designed for the comfort of right-handed people. It still frustrates him, though, whenever he can't do simple things he used to take for granted, like poking his straw into his drink in a second.

By the time he gets it in, he's finally aware of the sound of volleyball playing. Like a moth drawn to a flame, Kageyama wanders off to the back, where the usual suspects are practicing even during lunch break. 

"Bend your knees, bend them," Suga is saying to an endlessly energetic Hinata. He catches sight of him soon enough. "Oh, Kage --"

"Kageyama!!!" Hinata all but yells, and in a split second he appears in front of him, jumping a foot up in the air to tackle him. He side-steps him easily, but it takes more of him than usual since he has to turn his whole torso.

Hinata lands on his feet as always, but turns to him with a wicked smile. "You still got it."

"What do you mean, 'still got it'?" Kageyama yells. "Dumbass, don't think I'm suddenly at your level of shitty volleyball just because of a broken arm!"

"What'd you say?!"

"Lively as always," Yamaguchi says as he passes by with Tsukishima. They stop beside Sugawara and stare at the duo shouting their asses off as usual. 

Tsukishima is silent, however, eyes focused on the different-colored sling, the arm with a cast. 

Suga chuckles. "It's unlike you to not rib on Kageyama."

"Yeah, well," Tsukishima says with a shrug, a half-step already in the direction of the classrooms. "He's got his hands full with the injury already."

"Aww, I didn't know you had a heart, Tsukki~"

"Shut up, Yamaguchi."

 _But I'm not wrong_ , Tsukishima says, after one last fleeting glance. _The whole team wants Kageyama back in the game as fast as possible, but the one wishing it the most is Kageyama himself._

And he sees that frustration, sees the small twitches in his fingertips when Hinata lets a ball fly high. As if on instinct, Kageyama raises both his arms to set, then feels the sling tighten around his neck. The dejection is palpable as the volleyball hits the ground without him touching it.

Hinata apologizes profusely, but everyone else knows. _Right now, Kageyama unbelievably hates himself._


	5. here to stay

It takes all of two days for Kageyama to come crawling back to the gym.

During a break after a gruelling 3-on-3 practice match, Daichi comes out to see Kageyama dawdling outside the gym. He's in his practice gym clothes, trainers in his hands.

And he's currently being chewed out by Coach Ukai. 

"What are you thinking?" He's yelling, hands on his hips. Kageyama looks like he's about to cry, or punch something, or both. The tension in his body looks a shove away from snapping. "You need to rest, not practice --"

"Please!" Kageyama shouts, and Daichi only now has the sense that he definitely should _not_ be witnessing this interaction. Ukai looks shocked, though. "Please, coach. I can't... I don't feel right if I don't exercise. At least I can do leg work exercises, and keep score when there's matches. I'll be fine by the time the Spring Tournament arrives, and I want to keep my condition going until then. So, please..."

Ukai is silent, mulling it over. He probably sees the same thing Daichi does -- a flame that refuses to go out -- because he sighs and nods. "Fine. But the minute you stress yourself out or overdo it, I'm banning you from games for a year. Understand?"

The student takes a moment to think about the repercussions, weighs it over in his head, before finally nodding. "Yes."

And Kageyama finally turns, sees Daichi is there. He acknowledges him with a simple bow of his head. "Please take care of me."

"I'll watch over you reckless first-years. It's the captain's job, after all," he replies with a confident smile. 

But when Kageyama disappears into the gym, it falters. His worry is starting to eat at him from the inside. Kageyama is the kind of athlete that doesn't know when to quit, and that's equally a good and bad trait. A coil of restless energy, useless when pulled loose or when taut tight on the verge of snapping. What he needs is balance, but because of his condition, he's most likely not in a good mindset to think of the practicality of rest.

He looks up at Coach Ukai for an answer, only for the Coach to look just as lost as he is.

* * *

True to his word, Kageyama only does leg exercises with the team. He joins only in the afternoon practices, and mostly trains to maintain his physical condition. He stays behind and only does a light jog, two notches slower than his usual running pace, but he finishes the laps along with everybody else.

But he does something new. He stretches, each and every time; once before, once after. He did it before his accident, too, but now he takes much more time and care in warming up and cooling down his muscles.

Hinata notices this, and totters over while there's a five-minute break between drills to refresh themselves. "Hey... uh... what're you doing?"

"Stretching, are you blind?" Kageyama quips back quickly.

"You don't have to be so mad all the time!" Hinata yells back. "I'm just making small talk!"

"Tch. Save your breath."

"Fine!" He shouts back, then goes back to Sugawara to sulk. "Man, what's wrong with him?"

"He's not feeling his best, Hinata, don't mind," Suga answers as he wipes down the balls that they used. "I think Kageyama is the type of person who doesn't like being belittled."

"But I didn't do that!"

"But just now, didn't you just do something you never did?" He asks, and when Hinata still looked confused, Suga laughs. "You said you're making small talk. You don't ever do that. You have special conversations with each person in the team. Kageyama probably feels like you're walking on eggshells with him."

"Oh!!" Hinata exclaims, then turns to Kageyama he takes position to keep help Yachi with the scoreboard. "Is that what he thinks it was?"

"Positions!" Coach Ukai screams. "Sugawara! Hinata!"

"Yes!" They shout back, hurrying onto the court for another 3-on-3 drill. 

But this time, Hinata is hyperaware where Kageyama is. He doesn't spike properly when Suga sets for him, and Kageyama shouts insults for him to focus. But it's different, widely different, from Kageyama chewing him out when he is actually in the court playing with him.

Seeing Kageyama outside the paint... It somehow feels... _wrong_.

The set ends with the Daichi-Asahi-Tsukishima team on the other side having taken a straight-set victory, and Suga, Hinata, and Ryu are given a penalty of 30 serves each. 

"How's it feel being a spectator, King?" Tsukishima remarks at Kageyama as he resets the scoreboard. "Feels like the aftermath of a loss, huh?"

Kageyama turns to him, and the team feels about ready to separate the both of them yet again before a full-blown fight explodes in the court. But when he opens his mouth, no scathing words come out.

"Bend your knees."

Tsukishima grimaces. "What'd you say?"

"Bend your knees fully after you jump," Kageyama says plainly. "It'll relieve the pressure when you land, because your center of gravity shifts and it eases the weight on your knees. You'll feel the strain in your thighs if you keep doing that and fatigue your muscles easily. And your blocks are like swiss cheese; even Hinata who isn't in top form can easily spike between your goal-post arms."

"Amazing," Yamaguchi whispers to Ennoshita, who is quietly chuckling at the dumbstruck expressions on Tsukishima, Hinata, and -- weirdly enough -- Suga. "It's just like Kageyama to insult everybody, and then add someone else."

Coach Ukai, however, is staring at Kageyama as though he's a scientists looking down on a cow that's grown a second head. The setter excuses himself as he helps bring the balls over to the other end of the court.

Yamaguchi is by Tsukishima's side in an instant, ready to calm him down and subsequently tell him off for goading Kageyama. "Tsukki, really--"

But he sees the blonde intently looking at his thighs, which has been slightly spasming for a minute. Deftly, Tsukishima grabs a Pocari Sweat from his bag and downs the whole bottle, then waits for the ion drink to work and stop the tremors.

"I hate it when he's right," he hisses. Yamaguchi just laughs and pats his shoulder.


	6. it takes more than this

Another practice day, another lecture. Hinata's on the winning team now, consisted of him, Asahi and Nishinoya.

The losing team made up of Ryu, Daichi, and Yamaguchi are running around the court as penalty for losing when Kageyama approaches. "Hinata."

"What?" He asks, looking up at him and raising his hands instinctively. "Y-You wanna go?!"

"Be more mindful about the position of others when you're doing a run-up," Kageyama deadpans. "That last spike, you nearly barrelled over Asahi-san. Just the slightest misstep from concentration on dodging him made you a second late to spike at full power, that's why Ryu was able to block you so easily."

Hinata is about to retort when Kageyama turns to walk away. Asahi just laughs awkwardly. "Hinata, don't mind."

"He sounds like the coach," he grumbles. "That's a king for you."

"But to be honest," Nishinoya adds. "I was watching and got real scared you and Asahi might hit each other. Then there would be three injured people in the team!"

Hinata blinks then stares at Kageyama handing out drinks like he's looking at a particularly difficult puzzle he wants to solve.

Now that he thinks about it, he's been doing it for quite a while. Kageyama has always been incredibly perceptive, and his in-game sense is impeccable. But he usually has a communication problem, and in the heat of a particularly fast rally play, there's simply no time to say anything to anyone.

But lately, he's been giving constructive criticism left and right. He's not doing it in an amiable way like the coaches do, but states it as bluntly as possible and walking away to do something else. Tsukishima calls him an unfeeling robot for it, but even _he_ follows Kageyama's instructions and has started bending his knees more when he lands. 

And what Nishinoya just said strikes a chord in Hinata. Was Kageyama being overly observant especially when it came to reckless plays that could result in injury?

Hinata doesn't like that train of thought. Genius, reckless, brash, and bold -- no matter how much he hates to admit it, those words fit Kageyama's athlete persona to a T. Conservative plays simply didn't exist in his roster; it just isn't his style.

A careful Kageyama is definitively _not_ the Kageyama Hinata has come to know.

So the thought of him mothering all of the athletes to be careful and not get risky... it makes his insides feel weird, but he doesn't know why.

But before he could voice any of those thoughts out, his line of thought is broken when Takeda-sensei bursts in with excitement and asks to deliver an announcement.

* * *

"We're going to Tokyo!"

There's a moment of silence before it fully sinks into the team. "Tokyo?!"

"I want to see the Sky Tree!" 

"Let's do a Naruto Run in the Shibuya crossing!"

"Oy, Nishinoya, Tanaka! This isn't a road trip!"

"That's right," Takeda-sensei quips, and everybody hushes down to listen. "We're going to a training camp. Coach Nekomata has invited us to the Fukurodani group's league of training camps with other Tokyo powerhouse schools, so it's a great honor and opportunity for us to attend It'll happen in three weeks time. Until then, I need you all to do well in your exams, as well as have your parents' permission to be away for a week. Here are the forms..."

And Yachi and Kiyoko hand out the permission slips to each individual member of the team. Everyone else is chatting in excitement, or lamenting about grades and the pressure of studying. 

Kageyama is the only one silent, clutching the paper so tightly that one corner is wrinkled. His eyes are glaring at the words "Tokyo" and "training camp" hard enough for them to spontaneously combust. He doesn't realize that the Coach has dismissed the team from the day's practice until everybody else had shouted their thanks and had broken up into teams to take the nets down, and bring the balls back to storage.

He stands up slowly, approaching Coach Ukai. If he'll need to prostrate to get him into that bus with his other teammates, he'll do so without hesitation. There was nothing that can hold him back, not his parents, not his doctor, not even his stupid arm injury.

_I'm going to Tokyo and nobody can stop me._


	7. slow going

So it was a surprise to everyone else in the team, apart from Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei who approved his permission slip, when Kageyama arrived at the meet-up place on their way to Tokyo.

No one asked why he was there, of course. But it was still weird seeing him in his black jersey set, his arm sling blending into his outfit and making him look more rugged with the injury, like he was fresh from a fight. Kageyama has the look in his face that meant he's there on his own decision and he'd roundhouse kick anyone who'd tell him to do otherwise, so of course, no one does.

Hinata sits next to Kageyama on the bus to Tokyo, and the setter takes the window seat. His back is to the corner so he won't squeeze his injured arm accidentally if he ever falls asleep. His duffel bag is on the floor, feet resting on top of it, and he has a separate belt-bag where he keeps his medication. 

He pops a painkiller into his mouth and swallows it down with a bottle of water, only half-listening to Hinata go on and on about playing against Nekoma and the team's setter, Kenma, who he's oddly attached to after the practice game.

"I wanna show him a new technique!" He says, eyes wide in excitement, and again Kageyama finds himself wondering just how much Hinata's energy reserves are. "A spike that goes ' _gwaah_!' I've been practicing with Suga-senpai!"

"Huh," he replies off-handedly, resting his chin on his hand as he looks at the blur of sky and trees transforming slowly into the highway. "Must be nice."

"Oho, are you jealous?" Hinata teases, leaning into his personal space and wagging his eyebrows.

Kageyama answers him with smacking him away, left hand all over Hinata's face and pushing him back. "Wh- hell, no!"

"You totally are!"

"Shut up, dumbass!"

"Oy," Tsukishima hisses, and both of them turn to the front to see the blonde take one headphone off of his ear, glaring daggers at the both of them. "I'm trying to sleep, stop making a ruckus. It's making the seat jiggle."

It's a good thing Tsukishima puts his headphones back on again before he catches Hinata grumbling about him being a grumpy grandpa, Kageyama thinks. But then he turns to him, and holds his left hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" He snaps as Hinata's fingers trace the length of Kageyama's hand from middle finger to wrist. "Hey, that tickles!"

"Your hand's grown bigger," Hinata says simply. 

"Ha?"

"And feels stronger, too, somehow?" 

"Stop being weird!"

"I'm not!" He huffs, then holds Kageyama's palm up. He puts his hand over his to compare. Hinata's hand is small, warm to the touch, with slight callousing from the constant spiking. "See?"

But Kageyama is too flustered to see. His cheeks are warm and he turns away hurriedly, pulling his hand back. "I'm going to take a nap, wake me when we arrive."

He hears Hinata grumble again, but chooses to ignore it. He doesn't know what to do with the hammering of his heart in his chest, and the lingering warmth of Hinata's hand in his.

In his mind, the memory of him asking Coach Ukai to ler him play in the away games is still fresh. He's sworn to be useful, but the Coach agrees without too much of a fuss.

"Your game sense is getting better," he says, and Kageyama falters at the sudden compliment. "And it has a positive effect on the team. Maybe you can use your observation skills with the other schools, too."

"I... yes, that sounds doable."

"How's your supplemental training going?" Coach Ukai presses. 

Kageyama has been tasked by the coach to strengthen his left hand while his right arm is out of commission. He's taken to doing wrist curls with weights, grip exercises, rolling stress balls while doing homework or passing the time. 

"It's slow going," he admits, voice weak. "But it's going."

"Good. It'll help when you're back in the game, I can promise you that." The coach nods. "But you'll be doing nothing else in the away games but train your legs, your stamina, and your endurance. Keep your hand training a secret from the other teams as much as possible. And bring your A-game during every practice match. Have Kiyoko or Yachi write your notes for you."

Kageyama has said yes without really knowing what benefits it could possibly have to his playing. Sure, these hand exercises would probably be useful in other sports like basketball, but volleyball? He wasn't as sure. But it beats having so much extra time, and an exercise imbalance that's heavy on leg strength, so he indulges the Coach's requests without vocalizing the questions that swirl around in his head.

But Hinata's comments still bug him. His hands have grown? They're stronger? What could that possibly help with anything? Kageyama screws his eyes shut, willing sleep to overtake him until the wheels of the bus has stopped.


End file.
